Advertising device



Patented .ff-hug., 7,

Gnonsn n. nnnmnr, or naw Yoan, n. Y.

ADVElR-TSING DEVICE.

Application filed August l0, 1921. Serial No. 491,080.`

i o all whom t may concer/1t:

Be it known that l, Gnonon l-lnnLrHY, a

ycitizen oi the United States, residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useiul Advertising l/evice, oi` which the following is a speciiication.

rlhis invention is an advertising' device and more particularly an advertising sign adapted to be positioned inthe corridors or foyers of `'theaters or on the sidewalks in -trontgoll theaters5 and is so constituted that 1t will not only serve to exhibit the theatrical bill, but in addition thereto will serve as an advertising` medium for various articles or manufacture entirely independent of the theatrical program.

F rom a more spec-iiic standpoint, the invention embodies an advertising sign in the form oi' a :traine in which is adapted to be positioned theatrical bill or program which occupies a conspicuous place in the arrangement and is intended i'or the advertisement ol"l the particular show playing in the theater. 'lhe device is further constituted to hold several additional and smaller advertisements which are conspicuously positioned, so that a person reading the program or bill olf the theater will be sure to see the advertising matter directly adjacent thereto.

Ot especial importance' in the sign oi the Vpresent invention is the fact that the deviceV is so constructed as to enable the proprietor or' the theater to daily'cha-nge the theatrical program or bill with'out having access to the advertising cards carried in the sign. lt the theatrical manager were able, he would be apt to remove the advertising matter from the trame oi' the sign and insert 1n lieu thereof pictures of the players and other theatrical advertising matter. 4

ln the present invention, a certain part ci lthe sign only is allotted to the theatrical manager for his: advertising and the 'traine of the sign is so constructed that he cannot gain access tothe other advertising signs. v

In its preferred form, the invention embodies a traine having a plurality of panels, the center panel of which is preferably made larger than the rest and is adapted to contain the theatrical bill poster. Access may be had to this panel by a separate door or closure associated therewith and adapted to be normally locked4r in closed position by a hey held by the theatrical proprietor. The other panels are each adapted toy contain advertising show cards, but each oi' these other panels are independent of the main panel and are independently locked in closed condition by a different hey held by the company which owns the sign. All 'oi' the panels have .Glass i'ronts, so that the contents of each panel may be readily seen from the front of the sign.

Features of the invention, other than those speciiied, will be apparent from the hereinalter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. i

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment ci the present invention, but thev construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as de'rining the limits of the invention.

Figure l is a perspective View of an advertising sign embodying the present invenlGll.

Figure 2 is a section on the line Qf-Q of Figure l.

ldigure 3 is a section on the line 8 8 of Figure lgand, r

liligure l is a back view of the sign.

Y rlhe sign shown in the drawings embodies a frame l provided with ieet 2 and adapted to be supported in upstanding position by means ot pivoted rearlegs 3. rlhis frame may be ot' any desired shape and may be 'ornamented in any suitable way, but, for the plain and chamber, the iront of whichis closed by glass, the center panel 5 being` closed by a plate ci glass 7, and each of the other panels by smaller plates oit' glass 8( Bach oitl each plate of glass is a chamber adapted to contain a show card. The chambers of the smaller panels 6 are positioned directly backV of the trame l and are closed by a back plate 9, while the chamber oi" the panel 5 is set back further than ythe smaller surrounding panels and is'closed by a bach plate 10.

ln order that a theatrical bill poster may be positioned within the chamber 5@l of the center panel and'between the glass 7 and back 10,-one side of said chamber is pfo-v videdwvith a closure-1n the form oilastrip,

ll. The other three sides ot the chamber are closed permanently, but the strip ll is removable to permit access to the interior of the chamber 5a. The strips 4i which surround the center panel are interiorly grooved as at 13 and this is also true of 'the strip ll, so that .vhen the stripy ll isrremoved, the pane oit glass 7 may be slippedV into the grooves as shown best -in Figures 2 and 3, and Vrthereafter a theatrical-bill poster introduced back of theA pane'of glass, whereuponthe strip l1, which constitutes tho removable side oi the chamber 5a may be replaced vas shown in Figure 3 and locked in position by a padlock passed through staples l2.

Figure 4f very clearly shows the' manner in which the removable side of the chamber 5@- may beA removed for the purpose of inserting the glass 7, as Well as `lor,changing the bill posters. The key/of the padlock iorlockingthis'talse side in position is adapted to be handed over to the theatrical proprietor, so that he may change the posters Whenv he desires. The'loiver central paneldesignated G is provided at its back with a door la, hinged at lo and adapted to be'locked by la hasp-16,`a keeper 17 and by an associated padlock 18, while all of the' otherpanels 6A areV adapted to be closed and looked in the same manner as the panel' 5. In a similar Way access may be had to the upper center panel by virtue of its rcmovable side Y19, While access may be had to either lateral" tier 'of panels by removing their removable lsides 20. each ofthe lateral tiers may 'be'independ ently closed if desired,but I find it more convenient` to close them collectively by long strips 20,- as shown, which formthe removableA sides of alliive panels'oi each tier. The removable si'de'lQ'may be locked in placeby'a padlock 21 vvhile the removable sides'QO' maybe similarly secured in positi'on by padlocks 22.

In practice, the padlocks 18, 2l and 22 arepreferably all responsive to one key, so that the advertising man may readily gain access to all the panels,y thoughtnot neces sarilythe panel 5, While the proprietor of the theater can gain access to only the panel 5.

In the accompanying drawings, the sign is` shown as it would be constructed of Wood, though, in practice, the same may be constructed of metal, Without departing from this invention and While the signis illustrated as having thirteen panels, these panels may vary in number and-in placement,'as- Well as in shape. In practice, the sign is preferably made highly ornateand it is provided With electrical connections The panels of particularly adapted to carry out this-in tention, especially in View of the centervcom-'f partment or panel Which is set back' of the other panels, so that the advertising matter in the centerv panel lis in a different-plane' than the advertising matter in allthey other' This arrangementk produces a Vvery 1 panels. pleasing and aesthetic effect` and-imparts to the sign highly decorative"properties) so that it Will not befunsightlyand detract from the appearance ot theI theater' foyer or" entrance. y

It Will be understood tli-at the jspecifi'cin-y vention described may be m'odiied in formal respects, such'as by the substitution 'of equivalents, and that 'parts of 'the' complete con`` struction described may be used alone,`or` iny other environments, Without departing from the spirit or substance of the broadinven` tion, the scope of Which"'is` commensurate With the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An advertisingv sign embodyingra plurality of closed compartments 'or chambers, each of which is adapted tohousean advertising and show card, Vthe majority of Which compartments lie in the same" plane and at least one of which lies in a different plane, and means for' permitting access to theV interior of the compartment in one; planev to the exclusion of, the compartment inthe other plane and viceversa. Y

2. An advertising signv embodying a--frame provided with a plurality of. closed'compartments or chambers lying in substantially the same plane, and at least one additional com-Y partment or chamber lying in a different plane, said compartments serving to use ad-V vertising and show cards, separate closures for the compartments of both-planes, and means for independently locking the com@ partments `of bothv planes in closed-bondiw tion, ksothat thecompartment of onesplane4 Will be inaccessible to a person openingthe compartment of the other plane-0r vicef versa.

3. An advertising sign embodying afplu-v rality of closed compartments,the majority of which lie in the same plane and at least one of which lies in a different plane, said compartments serving to house advertising and show cards, means for permitting access to the interior of the compartments in one plane to the exclusion of the compartment in the other plane and vice versa, footing means and means for supporting the sign in upstanding position on the footing means.

L An advertising sign embodying a frame, the face of which is divided up into a plurality of panels back of each of which is a compartment, a glass front for each compartment, certain of the compartments being in one plane and at least one of the compartments being in a different plane, closures for said compartments, the closures or the compartment in one plane being independent of the closures of the compartments in the other plane, and means for separately locking said closures in position vso thatthe closures of one plane may be locked while the closure of the other plane is opened and vice versa.

5. An advertising sign embodying a central closed compartment, a plurality of additional closed compartments positioned around all four sides of the central compartment and positionedforwardly thereof, removable sides on the several compartments to permit a pane of glass to be positioned in each compartment and an advertising card to be positioned in each compartment back of the glass, and means for locking the movable sides of the compartments in position.

6. An advertising sign embodying a frame, a plurality of strips extending across the back of the frame for dividing the confines of said frame into a plurality of sections, means mounted on the'back of certain of said strips to form compartments back of certain of said sections, a transparent front associated with each of such compartments, closures also associated with such compartments so as to preclude the removal of advertising show cards positioned within the compartments by unauthorized persons and to house such show cards in normally closed compartments, means positioned at the back of certain of the strips to form an additional compartment, a closure for such additional compartment, 4and a transparent front in such additional compartment, whereby a show card may be housed in such additional closed compartment, and means for locking the closure of said additional closed compartment to prevent the removal of the last mentioned show card by unauthorized persons.

7. An advertising sign embodying a frame, a plurality of strips for dividing the confines of the-frame into a plurality of sections, means associated with each section for forming each section into closed compartments having transparent fronts, closures, for said compartments, and locking means for said closures, all of said closures being positioned rearwardly of the frame and concealed by the frame from view from in front of the frame.

8. An advertising sign embodying a frame,

a plurality of strips for dividing the confines of the frame into a plurality of sections, means associatedwith each section for forming each section into closed compartments having transparent fronts, closures for said compartments, and locking means for said closures, all of said closures being positioned rearwardly of the frame and concealed by the frame from view from in front of the frame, the majority of the compartments being in the same plane and at least one of said compartments being in a dilerent plane from the remaining compartments.

In testimony whereof l have signed the foregoing specification.

GEORGE E. HERLIHY. 

